Every Man's Battle

Research studies have determined that 5 out of every 10 Christian men have a major struggle with pornography. This is a statistic that will either horrify you or make you shrug your shoulders like it's no big deal. But our Lord Jesus Christ drew a pretty hard line in the sand when he told us at the Sermon on the Mount: "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)".

Why did Jesus set the bar so high regarding sexual purity? Because our Savior knows how strongly men are visually stimulated by women. And judging from the fact that there are over one million pornographic websites on the Internet, you can be sure Satan knows this as well. Yet unlike our enemy, who wants us to accept suggestive photos or computer-generated images to satisfy our sexual desire, our Savior knows that pornography degrades women, distorts our image of our wives--the ones we're called to sacrificially love--and it cheapens God's perfect plan for sexual fulfillment between a husband and a wife.

Men's Ministry leaders Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker wrote a book about this struggle to maintain sexual purity and titled it "Every Man's Battle". I highly recommend this book and I also don't think for one minute that their title is an exaggeration. It is crucial for God's men to win this battle, and yes it can be won! www.x3watch.com has several great resources for anyone who is struggling with online pornography.

There are, however, two ways you won't win this battle---alone in isolation and without authentic male accountability built into your life. Our enemy wants you to believe that this sin is so shameful that you must remain in secrecy or that it's no big deal so go ahead an indulge---the same way he tempted Eve in the Garden (Genesis 3:4) and told her "You will not surely die." Make a covenant with your eyes and your heart that you will maintain sexual purity and do whatever it takes to live by it.